REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR 7 



A new exhibit of considerable interest is a collection of clay concre- 

 tions. They are all from this State, and show a large variety of the 

 curious forms of these unexplained formations. This is located on the 

 third floor at the rear of the main office. 



The forestry collection has been placed on new shelves and arranged 

 according to Gray's Manual of Botany — the arrangement is not perfect, 

 however, for owing to one specimen (Juniperus Virginiana, L.) being too 

 large to fit the case where it belonged, it became necessary to place this 

 one out of its natural order, in a case which could contain it. 



This collection, which consists of seventy-three species of New York 

 woods, is among the most important of the Museum's exhibits, giving the 

 visitor at once a good conception of the enormous importance and 

 variety of the State's forests, and the susceptibiUty of each wood to 

 polishing and dressing. 



The State's forestry exhibit at the World's fair contains twenty-nine 

 species not represented in the Museum, besides a magnificent collection 

 of photographs of trees in winter and summer. It is hoped that some- 

 thing may be done to secure the necessary space, either in this building 

 or elsewhere, to exhibit this valuable collection. 



The appearance and labels of the fossil bones on the thud floor 

 have been somewhat improved, and related species have been brought 

 together. 



An attempt has been made to bring together related specimens of the 

 heavy rock specimens on the second floor, and the whole collection has 

 been cleaned. 



A fairly practical blow pipe laboratory has been fitted out in the base- 

 ment and considerable work has been done here, both on unlabeled 

 material belonging to the Museum and on specimens brought in for 

 identification. 



One of the collections of minerals set aside by the Museum for the use 

 of schools in the University has been loaned, on proper authority, to the 

 Buffalo high school. 



During the summer a number of the Gould types of Unionidae have 

 been loaned to the National Museum, some graptolites to the United 

 States Geological Survey, and a number of Clinton and Niagara group 

 fossils to the American Museum of Natural History, for purposes of 

 identification and study. 



The work of overhauling and revising the collections will be continued 

 until the entire Museum is in the best condition possible with the limited 

 means at hand. 



